copy/ftp

[tim lloyd_1]

Hi folks,

I maintain a legacy system on an HP Itanium under VMS8.2-1 with software written in pascal.

I use COPY/FTP to copy files out to a number of other servers.

I am now in a position where I need to grab a file from an external (Windows) FTP server.

This may seem like a trivial question but rather than establishing an FTP connection to this server and getting a file, is COPY/FTP a better method?

Can I specify a timeout? Or do I simply get an error status if the file is not there?

TIA

Tim

[Hoff · Accepted solution]

COPY /FTP and DIRECTORY /FTP and related are FTP, with a better (and far more easily scriptable via DCL) user interface.

I'd stay away from the timeouts and related, as that way often involves not insubstantial pain and suffering and weirdness and instability. If you really need to go there and have already looked very carefully at alternatives and options, only then at the timeouts.

The default timeouts and errors should be the same as those of FTP.

As for errors, run yourself a few tests. (It would have taken you less time to have run a COPY /FTP host::bogus and checked $status than to post that question, after all.)


$ copy/ftp localhost::bogus x.x
%TCPIP-E-FTP_NOSUCHFILE, no such file bogus
$ show sym $status
$STATUS == "%X17649B22"
$ copy/ftp localhost"usr pwd"::login.com x.x
$ show sym $status
$STATUS == "%X17649B11"
$ set mess sys$message:tcpip$msg
$ x=f$mess(%X17649B22)
$ show sym x
X = "%TCPIP-E-FTP_NOSUCHFILE, no such file !AD"
$ x=f$mess(%X17649B11)
$ show sym x
X = "%TCPIP-S-FTP_NORMAL, normal successful completion"
$

[Steven Schweda]

> [...] VMS8.2-1 [...]

For actually useful information:

tcpip show version

> [...] software written in pascal.
>
> I use COPY/FTP [...]

Is there any connection between the Pascal
program(s) and the COPY/FTP activity?

> [...] rather than establishing an FTP
> connection to this server and getting a
> file, is COPY/FTP a better method?

Better? Is it significantly different? What
do you think that COPY/FTP does? (To find
out, you might try adding /VERBOSE to your
COPY/FTP command.)

> Can I specify a timeout?

I don't see an easy way. Do you expect to
get a time-out?

> Or do I simply get an error status if the
> file is not there?

I wouldn't expect to get a time-out if the
file isn't there. If you really want to
know, then it should be pretty easy to run
the experiment. (More reliable than asking
here, too.)

[Hoff]

Ok, I've done a little digging into the history here.

There are some similar-looking reports from six months back, and I see FTP issues from almost a year ago.

Would this be the same site and the same issue?

And would that make it a legacy bug? :-)

Consistency being what it is, I'd previously posted similar code for checking errors from the DCL code, Steven has asked similar questions about the version information, too.

You will want to see several of the previous threads for (more of) the usual suggestions for these cases, ranging from debugging on up to Wireshark.

And if this matter has become a priority here, do consider calling in some help to have a look at this network. IP network errors don't usually lend themselves to easy debugging via forum postings.

[tim lloyd_1]

thanks. I have now run a few tests. Sorry for the inconvenience.

[tim lloyd_1]

Just to close this thread...this is a new issue. Not related to any previous issues.

I don't have much experience of FTP under VMS so I am picking my way around. Noted that this is a simple test to carry out which I have now done.

[tim lloyd_1]

testing on the computers in question has answered my question